Senior RF Mission Architect — Payloads & Space Systems

Rocket Lab Corporation; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 144,000 - 206,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Health insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid vacation and sick time

11 paid holidays

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA seeks a Senior RF Mission Architect who leads early mission trades, defines payload topologies, and balances RF trade-offs for next-gen tactical satcom and space-based sensing. You will own how the core product evolves to capture missions, coordinating with payload hardware, software, and spacecraft teams to ensure buildability and flight readiness.

The role requires a strong background in RF payloads, architecture narratives for proposals, and the ability to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, or other technical discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in aerospace or defense RF systems.
• Demonstrated track record architecting complex multi-function RF, SAR/radar, or digital communication payloads from concept to proposal win.
• Active TS/SCI security clearance

Responsibilities

• Architect Clean-Sheet Payloads: Run early mission trades, define payload topologies, analog vs digital conversion boundary, waveform processing constraints, or integration of cryptographic requirement for optimal mission profiles.

Skills

RF systems

RF payload design

Security clearance

Education

Bachelors in EE / Aerospace

Tools

STK

MATLAB

Python

HFSS

CST

Job description

Rocket Lab in Long Beach, CA seeks a Senior RF Mission Architect who leads early mission trades, defines payload topologies, and balances RF trade-offs for next-gen tactical satcom and space-based sensing. You will own how the core product evolves to capture missions, coordinating with payload hardware, software, and spacecraft teams to ensure buildability and flight readiness.

The role requires a strong background in RF payloads, architecture narratives for proposals, and the ability to